1. Field of Invention
This invention is relative to an input device, in particular, relative to an input device with mechanical switch which can be replaced individually.
2. Related Art
Keyboards are the first and the most commonly used peripheral input devices. Although many other input devices such as mice, touch panels, digital pens or even sound-actuated mobiles (SAM) had been developed, they are still essential peripheral input devices currently for the advantages of low cost and capability of being input a large number of characters during a short period of time.
The keyboard can be commonly divided into the membrane keyboard and the mechanical keyboard according to how the keys are actuated. The mechanical keyboard is mainly constructed from a keycap, a mechanical switch and a circuit board, in which every button has its own independent keycap, mechanical switch and conductive sheet corresponding to the circuit board. When the keycap is pressed by the user for data input with the keyboard, the mechanical switch and the conductive sheet connected to the circuit board will be jointly actuated by the keycap to generate an electrical signal to the computer. thereby completed a signal input operation.
The mechanical keyboard has a much longer service life and a better tactile sensation than the membrane keyboard, and the mechanical switch of the former could be replaced individually. Hence, the mechanical keyboard is still the professional user's favorite even though it is much more expensive. Besides, the mechanical switch of the mechanical keyboard can be divided into five different types of brown stemmed switches, blue stemmed switches, black stemmed switches, white stemmed switches and red stemmed switches according to the way of actuation. The depression force and tactile feedback vary with the construction of the mechanical switch. The users can select a specified type of switch as required.
However, the mechanical switch of the conventional mechanical keyboard is still fixed. In order to make the mechanical switch electrically be connected to the circuit board, the mechanical switch is welded to the circuit board by soldering during the production process of the mechanical keyboard. Thus, the mechanical switch and the circuit board are secured and cannot be separated easily. Whenever any mechanical switch is out of order, it cannot be replaced easily by the user, so the service life of the mechanical keyboard will be shortened.
Meanwhile, it is almost impossible to change different types of mechanical switches according to the users' preferences because of the limitation of the conventional technology mentioned above. So, there is a need to improve the conventional mechanical keyboard for the user's convenience.